Can't see 4GB on Vista x86 RC2

[Mark A. Richman]

But I can on Vista x64 and XP x64. I tried using bcdedit to pae forceenable,
but that doesn't work either.

 

[Kerry Brown]

But I can on Vista x64 and XP x64. I tried using bcdedit to pae
forceenable, but that doesn't work either.

It's the same as previous 32 bit Windows versions. They can only address 4
MB of RAM. The motherboard reserves some for itself. Some motherboards
handle this better than others but generally the max you can see in a 32 bit
OS is around 3.25 GB.

 

[Mark A. Richman]

Then how can all my 32-bit Windows Server 2003 machines see all 4GB?

 

[Kerry Brown]

Which versions of Server 2003?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283037

http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2006/08/14/699521.aspx

Also some motherboards use some tricks so that the address space they use
doesn't take away from the RAM Windows sees. This is much more common with
server boards than workstation boards.

 

[Guest]

My servers run Supermicro mobos with W2k3 Standard edition (32-bit). My
workstation (the one with the mem limitation) is an HP xw9300. No clue what
type of mobo they use. It's a dual AMD Opteron 64. I've tried enabling PAE
via bcdedit and it doesn't work either. Maybe there is something in my HP's
BIOS that will help?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Guest]

My servers run Supermicro mobos with W2k3 Standard edition (32-bit). My
workstation (the one with the mem limitation) is an HP xw9300. No clue what
type of mobo they use. It's a dual AMD Opteron 64. I've tried enabling PAE
via bcdedit and it doesn't work either. Maybe there is something in my HP's
BIOS that will help?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Guest]

This may be my answer!

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...rodSeriesId=459226&objectID=PSD_WE050321_CW01

 

[Kerry Brown]

Looks like that may be part of the problem.

 

[Guest]

Well, I followed HP's advice, and now I see 3.0GB out of 4.0GB total on x86.
I guess I've reached the limit of what this motherboard can do. Is this one
of the main distinctions between a "server" mobo vs. a "desktop" one?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Kerry Brown]

Well, I followed HP's advice, and now I see 3.0GB out of 4.0GB total
on x86. I guess I've reached the limit of what this motherboard can
do. Is this one of the main distinctions between a "server" mobo vs.
a "desktop" one?

Yes, although many server boards have similar restrictions and a few
workstation boards don't. You are more likely to find the ability to see all
4 GB with a server board. Trying to find out this information from the
motherboard manufacturers is an exercise in frustration. For all intents and
purposes unless you are using a 64 bit version of Windows don't expect to
see all the RAM if you install more than 3 GB.

 

[DCR]

Runing both x86 and x64 -- x86 sees 3.4GB, x64 sees 4+ GB

 

[Intel Inside]

Yes, although many server boards have similar restrictions and a few
workstation boards don't. You are more likely to find the ability to see
all 4 GB with a server board. Trying to find out this information from the
motherboard manufacturers is an exercise in frustration. For all intents
and purposes unless you are using a 64 bit version of Windows don't expect
to see all the RAM if you install more than 3 GB.

Kerry,
I like your posts because they are always well written and straight to the
point.